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Hardcore Southern Lord Records February 15th, 2011 Release length: 11:53 |
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Once Baptists starts up, there is no denying the frothing aggression from the mouth of the band. The music feels very aggressive, ready to leap out at the listener and go for the juggular with pounding Hardcore riffs that are both violent and at times slow down enough to feel as it is lying in wait for the right time to strike. “Good Parenting” kicks off the album with this very abrupt sound, attacking the listener with punishing Hardcore led with a sandpaper-like vocal style that tears away at the listener while working with the overall aggressive and muddier production quality of the release. The only complaint to be had about this song is that it feels too short, as if it is being cut down in it’s prime and not fully finished, though it does manage to bleed in through some guitar feedback effects into “Farmed” to create another track that lashes out at the listener, but this time ending in a manner that leaves the song feeling complete.
This track also bleeds into the following song, which is a trend from the start of the album, though it works well to make the album feel merciless and as if it refuses to let up while it has you by the neck. However, “Bachelor Degree Burn” changes things up a bit, and the music shifts away from a truly aggressive release to a more docile, almost psychadelic experience through the more droning Hardcore sounds with what feels like some Stoner input into the slower moving material, breaking the generally short Hardcore song length idea by hitting nearly four and a half minutes of this slower, pulsating musical trip. Again, this track bleeds into the next song, “Life Poser”, but just barely. The closing track has a bit of a Southern feel to it, carrying on with some of the Stoner Metal feel that “Bachelor Degree Burn” had started with, but in a more Hardcore manner then that track had utilized. This leads to a bit of an odd shift in the music, leaving the first and last two songs to be a lot like night and day in comparison.
But that doesn’t make this EP any less enjoyable. Sure the flow of the album feels a bit interrupted, but overall the Baptists EP is actually a quality release. The music has a good amount of aggression to it, though sometimes you’ll find a bit of a Punk groove or attitude in the music, primarily in the first two songs. The raw sound of the music works well with that atmosphere, and the latter droning vibes of the music, though the material on this release does still have a rather modern and clear sound to it. No matter how you look at the production quality of this EP, there is no denying that Baptists have put a good deal of effort into these songs, which makes this four track seven inch EP well worth looking around for, especially if you are a fan of the label, or just enjoy some solid Hardcore.
01. Good Parenting – 2:20 02. Farmed – 2:27 03. Bachelors Degree Burn – 4:25 04. Life Poser – 2:39 |
Overall Score: 8.5/10![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |

Digital review copy of this release provided by Southern Lord Records via Earsplit PR.